What do pundits mean when describing someone as a gifted athlete?

[Kev]

This may sound a dumb question but I get puzzled when I hear this said about certain fighters.

Lampley said that Jermain Taylor is possiblyy the most gifted natural athlete in boxing.

What does this mean?

He's not the strongest guy, or the quickest. He doesn't have the most skill or the most stamina so why the gifted athlete moniker? I mean to me Floyd or Roy Jones are gifted athletes, Hopkins too. I don't think of Jermain Taylor when I think of gifted athletes.

Are they referring to crossover ability, i.e gifted in other sports?

Joe Rogan always say the same about Kevin Randleman on the UFC as well even though his record is 50/50 win loss. He's muscular but obviously not that gifted an athlete else his record would be better...right?

Can someone explain?

[Althugz]

From what i've been taught there is no such thing as a 'gifted' athlete. Sure you can be genetically better suited towards one sport than another. For example marathon runners and sprinters..the sprinter wouldn't be a good marathon runner and vice versa.

For example, Brazilians are always thought to be 'gifted' footballers. This again is untrue..Do you know how young these guys are when they start playing and practicing? It is their life..they don't have video games, they don't have any other distraction. Ronaldinho for example from a very young age used to practice kick ups with his dog..trying to keep it away from him. Basically i've been taught that it is all about practice practice practice.

People say Floyd is also a gifted athlete, same with Roy Jones Jr..I beg to differ. Look at WHEN these guys started their training..Floyd Sr said that he would have Floyd practicing punching at 6 months old. He would push and pull baby Floyds hands back and forth going through punching motions and eventually he said Floyd at 9 months would do the motion himself! So Floyd has essentially been practicing boxing since he was 6 months old!! He always complains about his lack of childhood..because he was ALWAYS practicing.

Thats why when anyone mentions 'gifted' athlete I say bullshit. A better statement would be 'I've never seen anybody more genetically suited' to this sport..but then again that's bullshit too because of the amount of differing styles in boxing!

So to wrap up..i don't believe in it. I believe in practice.

[Sugar_Shaw]

I think a natural athlete is someone who has the natural skill to be great at what they do with less work than other guys

[Kev]

I think a natural athlete is someone who has the natural skill to be great at what they do with less work than other guys

Does that sound like Jermain Taylor to you?


Me neither

In that class you'd have to say Naseem Hamed would be king, or George Best in soccer.

But Taylor uhm....no.

[Sugar_Shaw]

I think a natural athlete is someone who has the natural skill to be great at what they do with less work than other guys

Does that sound like Jermain Taylor to you?


Me neither

No, it certainly doesn't, the phrase is used far too loosely

[No Contest]

He means all the gift decisions he's gotten in his career.

[BoxingGorilla]

A natural athlete is someone with suburb reflexes, excellent balance and the perfect blend of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.

They have an uncanny mastery of body movement.

That's my opinion.

[Kev]

A natural athlete is someone with suburb reflexes, excellent balance and the perfect blend of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.

They have an uncanny mastery of body movement.

That's my opinion.

Good answer, that to me sounds very much like Floyd or Roy Jones.........but not Taylor.

I've heard it said so many times that Jermain is a gifted athlete but havn't yet heard a definition that of athleticism that he fits.

He's a great fighter no doubt but the 'most' gifted? Not even close.

[RozzySean]

A natural athlete is someone with suburb reflexes, excellent balance and the perfect blend of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.

They have an uncanny mastery of body movement.

That's my opinion.

Yeah, and those gifts usually apply to wide range of sports and physical activities. Pure athletic ability often does not translate into performance for a number of reasons - intelligence, work ethic, and mental approach to the game or sport.

Example...If pure athletic skill always translated into performance, Billy Beane would be the starting centerfielder for the Oakland A's instead of the General Manager. Players on his team marvel even at his age, he is better pure athlete than most of his player, but he guy was never more than a crappy 4th outfielder. Why, admitted by him, it was all in his head. His minor league teammate, Len Dyksra, had half the natural talent and made a great career...he had better mental makeup for the game.

I think JT has better physical gifts than most boxers. Imagine JT verse a prime SMW James Toney in a series of overall athletic ability...something like the NFL scouting combine or a decathalon. Speed, quickness, strenght, stamina all measured. Who do you think wins? I would bet my car and my dog Taylor. But if the two met, prime for prime, in a boxing ring, I'd bet my car, dog, and everything else I own on Toney. Toney is still a gifted athlete, but he applies those gifts perfectly to his craft. Jermain Taylor does not.

And if Taylor was up against Roy Jones in the same tests, he would get smoked in and out of the ring.

[BoxingGorilla]

CC SeanE

Excellent post.

[Althugz]

A natural athlete is someone with suburb reflexes, excellent balance and the perfect blend of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.
They have an uncanny mastery of body movement.

That's my opinion.

These are things that you can practice
These are genetic

I still don't buy the 'gifted athlete' thing. You practice enough at something you will get good at it. Of course the important thing is to practice the RIGHT things and correctly.

[Dark Lord Al]

This may sound a dumb question but I get puzzled when I hear this said about certain fighters.

Lampley said that Jermain Taylor is possiblyy the most gifted natural athlete in boxing.

What does this mean?

He's not the strongest guy, or the quickest. He doesn't have the most skill or the most stamina so why the gifted athlete moniker? I mean to me Floyd or Roy Jones are gifted athletes, Hopkins too. I don't think of Jermain Taylor when I think of gifted athletes.

Are they referring to crossover ability, i.e gifted in other sports?

Joe Rogan always say the same about Kevin Randleman on the UFC as well even though his record is 50/50 win loss. He's muscular but obviously not that gifted an athlete else his record would be better...right?

Can someone explain?

Maybe Lampley means "most gifted athlete " = guy with no stamina - well built who he want to s.h.a.g
i always had my doubts about Lampley

[BoxingGorilla]

A natural athlete is someone with suburb reflexes, excellent balance and the perfect blend of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.
They have an uncanny mastery of body movement.

That's my opinion.

These are things that you can practice
These are genetic

I still don't buy the 'gifted athlete' thing. You practice enough at something you will get good at it. Of course the important thing is to practice the RIGHT things and correctly.

Yes, you can practice the things in red, that doesn't mean you will excel at them.

Some people are rocksteady and some are oafs from the day they are born.

You take two children off the street who have never played a sport in their life one who is a natural athlete and on who is a woody allen clone and ask them to jump through hoops. You will see the difference right away.

You can train the Woody Allen kid for months on end and he will never be as good as the natural athelete. It just won't happen.

[Taeth]

Jermain Taylor was a track star, and thats why he is a great athlete because like Shane MOsley he had crossover talent, though great athletes aren't always great boxing athletes they usually do better than the average joe.

[Taeth]

From what i've been taught there is no such thing as a 'gifted' athlete. Sure you can be genetically better suited towards one sport than another. For example marathon runners and sprinters..the sprinter wouldn't be a good marathon runner and vice versa.

For example, Brazilians are always thought to be 'gifted' footballers. This again is untrue..Do you know how young these guys are when they start playing and practicing? It is their life..they don't have video games, they don't have any other distraction. Ronaldinho for example from a very young age used to practice kick ups with his dog..trying to keep it away from him. Basically i've been taught that it is all about practice practice practice.

People say Floyd is also a gifted athlete, same with Roy Jones Jr..I beg to differ. Look at WHEN these guys started their training..Floyd Sr said that he would have Floyd practicing punching at 6 months old. He would push and pull baby Floyds hands back and forth going through punching motions and eventually he said Floyd at 9 months would do the motion himself! So Floyd has essentially been practicing boxing since he was 6 months old!! He always complains about his lack of childhood..because he was ALWAYS practicing.

Thats why when anyone mentions 'gifted' athlete I say bullshit. A better statement would be 'I've never seen anybody more genetically suited' to this sport..but then again that's bullshit too because of the amount of differing styles in boxing!

So to wrap up..i don't believe in it. I believe in practice.

Your actually wrong. THere is about 10,000 hours that you can put into a sport when starting as a child that you will continue to improve. THat will give you the maximum level of your ability, which for the average person would make them good at what they do, and 1% of the people who already have been participating in that sport will have the ability to become a world champion or star at the professional level.